What actually happened from Hart's perspective.. about treason

[roleplaysbyjake]

a/n: I feel it important just to state here that it was a work day, and I was really tired but wanted to rp anyway because I had not had a real rp in three days. Annd.. well, it went really really bad.

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Hart was bored, but determined not to feel that way today. There had been an interesting group he spotted, and it was not every day that he would spot people he wanted to talk to. To his luck, he spotted the person he had a mind to try and get to know, Arbol, standing about the hub. What people may have been unaware of is that Hart didn't just look for trouble, he approached it with the intent of someone who was determined to grab trouble by the towel, and wring every ounce of entertainment that he could get out of it. It hadn't disappointed him in the past, so when he spotted Arbol in the hub, he knew he had to approach them.

What Hart knew about the guy, was his dialogue. He identified interesting individuals by listening to what they said, and as soon as he found one, he usually tried to get them alone so he could pick at their mind. Arbol was not at all, in his mind a potential friend, but more so, someone interesting and what Hart labeled as "Could think for himself", so Hart immediately sought to see if they could hold a conversation together for more than a few minutes.

"Greetings," Hart said, approaching the man and lingering a safe distance.

Arbol responded in kind, and a bit of merry small talk ensued. Hart aimed right for the goal and became direct and blunt.

"I believe you were in the party last night," he said.

"Party? I don't really like to have fun." What Arbol said in this instance struck Hart as particularly interesting.

"I meant, in a group of people, getting ready to go out and hunt, perhaps not so fun," he explained with a soft curl of his lips. Even though his mind was functioning at half speed the whole day, he could seem sharp at certain moments. He was focused on learning this individual indeed.

"Oh? That's possible.. when was it?"

"Yesterdark," he stated. "You were accompanied by a gnoll with two shadow form imitations of herself.. I think one of them was named RIa..?" His memory was fuzzy but on tuesdays, wednesdays, and thursdays, Hart operated at half the speed he usually did, which was why he opted to sleep most of those days usually.

That was around the time that the Gnoll in question appeared. Hart greeted, and fleeting words were exchanged in which he didn't really pay so much attention to, but answered accordingly to any response directed at him. There were introductions, a round or two that flickered by like the veil of a fog had fallen upon him.

"Reminds me of the days when I used to be a cleric," He commented suddenly, as Arbol talked about making healing potions and the various equipments that they both owned.

"You used to be a cleric?" Arbol asked.

"Indeed, I used to not have to worry about equipment at all. Those days are long gone now."

"I understand," said Arbol. "I am fat now and slow too."

The joke, humorously enough, made Hart give a doubletake. He'd only focused on what Arbol said and it had really not occurred to him that the other was... bigger. In his smoke filled haze, he'd thought that they were just thickly armored somehow.

He did not comment, and the topic turned to a trip to Sibayad. It seemed that in most cases, Hart was out hunting, and it was the way in which he learned more about the people he interacted with. When he was friends with Maverick, they often ended up engaging in long intellectual debates, that which had no ending.. and focused primarily on Hart's affections for Vance. As a matter of fact.. in a discussion of emotions and feelings, they usually ended up so intense that Hart ended up getting a headache after every trip and had to be bedridden by the next morning.

With this guy, Arbol, he did not inquire much and Hart was actually quite capable of navigating empty talk as well as thoughtful, granted that.. he was focused. The first meetings, for instance was where he hunted the details of the other, and absorbed them with quicksand momentum. Unfortunately, though this time was a tad different. He only noticed certain things.

----------------------------We get in the portal and Are in Sibayad now ------------------------------------

Rriara and Hart stood at the portal to Sibayad docks. "I hope I got the right portal," Hart said immediately, as they stood, puzzled, and noticing a distinct lack of presence of Arbol.

Around that time, a human who Hart later learned the name of by the name of Ken had been standing nearby. He eyed Rriara a bit oddly. "This is the first time I've seen a gnoll like this. Usually, you guys are out attacking others and rampaging."

Rriara smirked at the guy. "I prefer to hunt with others instead of alone. Can't really kill so easy by myself, now can I?"

Hart had met a few surfacers, and Ken here seemed to strike him as one of those "Lets be friends" type immediately. Many surfacers .. in fact, feigned ignorance right before they realized they were about to be murdered, or in this case, may have just been outright ignorant about what lay in store for them. Hart sensed trouble, but in this haze of fog and tiredness.. he was not really in the mood to intervene.

"Perhaps..." Started Ken. "I and my friend could join you on this hunt?"

"Perhaps," said Rriara. "But where is this friend of yours?"

Ken sighed. "Somewhere ... and arriving soon, I hope." He then disappeared into the portal.

They waited, and Hart noticed the seconds ticking by. Ken did not show up with his friend.. "I think we are going to be hunted," Rriara stated suddenly.

Hart did not answer. He did not believe that they were going to be, in fact. He'd met enough surfacers to realize that they were really naiive and some of them were actually silly enough to actually do as they said. He hid his exasperation and did not have time to respond when Arbol arrived, panting and huffing, having traveled many portals with great -- strenuous exercise to get to them.

----------------------------------We enter Sibayad town-----------------------------------------------------

Arbol, after having chided the two of them for entering the wrong portal, had pointed out the lack of a cooking pot in town. He went through every shop, and Hart and Rriara followed him steadfastedly.

"All this space, and not a pot in sight," Hart stated, casually following the man.

Arbol finally spotted the pot after stumbling through many other wrong locations, out in the open.

"By the way, I think some people are going to hunt us..." said Rriara.

Arbol paused. "Let them come..." He said, finally.

"What if they come with more than just one of them?" Hart asked.

"Then we'll fight them," said Arbol. "Aim for the least armored ones first."

"They will die," agreed Rriara.

--------------------------------We go into battle, Brie and Angelo join us briefly------------

As they wandered across the desert orclands, it seemed quite an empty road to travel. The prey were few and far between.

"Too quiet..." said Hart. At this point, he was starting to notice the time. How long had it taken just to get here.. and how much longer could he really stand this boredom starting to well up inside him?

They found a few prey to hunt, and Hart realized then that Ice was a bad element to imbue his sword with. If not for the other party members in the vicinity, he may have been struck down by an Orc. 'Tch, he thought.. should have used Acid.' He held his shoulder. 'That really hurt my health a bit.'

And then, as he suspected would happen, Arbol pointed out the corpses of the fallen prey that were now littered up ahead. "People were here.. we are not alone," he stated, the ominous statement that everyone seemed to note when such an incident was happening of lack of prey.

"Looks like we came a bit too late," said Ken from the distance. He had shown up with the one friend that he had spoken of.

At this point, Hart had hardly paid any attention to the conversation. He was getting really tired, and only wanted to end this trip as soon as possible. There was mention of Pandemonium, but other than that, Hart could hardly figure out what was being talked about. He'd never been to Pandemonium and what Rriara discussed with Ken turned out to be gibberish. He did hear the opening line of course.

"You're not here to kill me?" Asked Rriaria, to Ken.

"No, why would we be...?" Stated Ken.

"Surfacers usually try to kill me on sight," Rriara stated.

"And you haven't done anything against me, or we would," Ken pointed out.

Hart heard what Rriara responded with, after a long, awkward pause, but as it goes, he really wasn't paying attention now of all things. He did not even notice that Brie and Angelo had left.. 'Pandemonium,' he thought. 'I just want to get this over with. Where is that anyway?'

There was talk about using lenses or not, and if who had what portal, and eventually, they decided to head to the desert near amadeo's camp, where it was the nearest portal, and that from there they were all to meet at the outpost.

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As they entered to near the destination, it seemed that the roadway was blocked by several elves. Hart squinted in the distance, and noticed a person in armor, a familiar figure and a voice. 'Is that Keyleth..?' he thought. 'Shit.. she'll know we're travelling with elves now...'

In his dreamy-eyed state.. he hardly realized what was going on.

"So it is the Gnoll and their company, as prophesized," came a cryptic comment. Hart frowned. What on earth were they talking about?

Then it happened all in a rush and a cloud of darkness fell upon them as swords clashed in the air. Hart darted back, intent on getting out of the darkness, but he could hardly believe what was going on.

"You're just going to attack like that?!" Ken's voice rang out.

The man who had killed Arbol and Rriara glared at Ken. "Are you going to defend them?"

"I will not defend them... but..."

The cloud of darkness dissipated and the casualties were lying on the ground. Hart had cast an ultravision on himself in panic. He did not leave, his eyes glued to the scene... His gaze pinned straight upon Keyleth.

Keyleth looked over at Hart and asked.. "Hart.. are you still serving Vance..?"

"...Yes..." he stated quickly. 'This must be some misunderstanding,' he thought. 'Who were these strange people and why was Keyleth with them?'

"Will you stop serving him...?"

And that was when Hart knew. Of course he knew what he were to say to that. It was something that he had been waiting to say from the bottom of his heart.. Things like .. Absolutely not, or, I'd rather die came to his mind.

"Then..." said a mage later identified by Arbol as Xun'sali.

A person with a summoned dragon launched itself straight towards Hart. Before he died, the last thing he could think of.. clear and red and bloody behind closed eyelids. 'Really? They couldn't have done this at a better time?'

They were ressurected by Ken later on.. and by that time, Hart was furious, tired, and worried. He only paid attention to a few of the comments.

"Those guys that were messing with you were from Myon. At least three of them were well known. Now I better leave before I get scried by Myon for bringing you guys back to life."

Ken stuck around, and he and Rriara exchanged tense words that later turned into friendly conversation. He asked about what the assassin's guild in Andunor was like, and proclaimed that if it weren't for Myon's scrying on Ellaria and himself that he'd join all of them on hunting again in a "heartbeat".

As Hart was handed back the 400 gold he lost and some healing kits as well as 10 healing potions... he simply nodded with a sigh, but a new worry had formed in his mind.

How was he going to explain this to the Strifeleader..?

------------------------------------EPIC CLIFFHANGER OF DOOM --------------------------------

Unfortunately, you guys will have to find out what happened in game, actually...